Recycling Polluted Water: A Guide For Oxygen Not Included

In the game Oxygen Not Included, polluted water is a common occurrence, especially in the Swamp Biome, and it can have negative effects on players' progress. It is produced as a by-product of certain amenities and can be harmful to Duplicants, causing stress and adding to their sickness if they come into contact with it. However, there are several ways to recycle and reuse polluted water, such as purifying it into clean water using a Water Sieve or by boiling it into steam, which can then be condensed. It can also be used as a coolant, as it has a wider temperature range than pure water, and it is essential for growing plants like Pincha Pepper, Thimble Reed, and Arbor Trees. Players can also store polluted water by bottling it or using Liquid Reservoirs to prevent further emission of Polluted Oxygen.

Using a Water Sieve to filter Polluted Water

Polluted Water is a common occurrence in Oxygen Not Included, and while it has its uses, it can be a nuisance and a health hazard for your Duplicants. One way to deal with it is to use a Water Sieve to filter it into clean water.

The Water Sieve is a plumbing building in the game that can be used to produce clean water from polluted water. It is an essential building as water is a very important resource, and it can help supply water to structures like the Lavatory and Carbon Skimmer without using up clean water. A single Water Sieve can process up to 3 tons of water per cycle, which is enough to supply 300 combined Lavatory and Sink uses or 100 Showers.

To use the Water Sieve, pump the polluted water into it via the connect input. The Water Sieve will filter the water and expel clean water from the output. However, it's important to note that the Water Sieve does not remove any germs in the water, so be sure to use separate sieves for filtering your main water supply and wastewater. Polluted Dirt, a by-product of the filtering process, will also need to be removed and taken to the Compost by your Duplicants.

While the Water Sieve is a useful tool, it is not the only way to deal with polluted water. Polluted Water can also be used as a coolant, as it has a wider temperature range than pure water. Additionally, some plants, like Pincha Pepper, Thimble Reed, and Arbor Tree, require polluted water to grow, so it can be diverted to help grow these useful plants.

Storing Polluted Water in Liquid Reservoirs

Polluted water is a common occurrence in the game Oxygen Not Included, and it can be a useful resource. It is a better coolant than pure water due to its wider temperature range, and it is required for irrigating certain plants. It can also be converted into fertiliser, which can be used on almost any plant to double its growth rate for one cycle.

If you want to store polluted water, it is best to do so in liquid reservoirs. This is because polluted water in liquid reservoirs does not emit any polluted oxygen. This makes it useful for players who want to store the polluted water for later use.

There are several ways to deal with polluted water. One way is to simply store it in basins with overpressurized atmospheres or liquid storage tanks. Another option is to bottle the polluted water and have your Duplicants transport the bottles to a storage area. This method is good if there is not much polluted water or if you don't have the means to purify or use it. However, be careful that your Duplicants do not accidentally put the bottles in your Wash Basins or Microbe Mushers.

If you want to purify the polluted water, you can pump it via a liquid pump into a Water Sieve to turn it into pure water. This process does not remove any germs, so you will need to add something like chlorine to make it safe to drink. Alternatively, you can put Gulp Fish in your reservoir, although this also will not remove germs.

Converting Polluted Water into Fertilizer

Polluted water is a common occurrence in the game Oxygen Not Included, and it can be a nuisance to deal with. However, it can be converted into a useful resource, such as fertilizer, to benefit your duplicants. Here is a detailed guide on converting polluted water into fertilizer:

Sources of Polluted Water

Polluted water is the most common naturally occurring liquid on most asteroids, especially in the Swamp Biome. It is also created as a by-product of certain activities and amenities. For example, it is produced by Algae Distillers, Lavatories, Showers, Wash Basins, and Sinks. Additionally, Duplicants may create polluted water if they do not reach a toilet in time or through stress-vomiting.

To convert polluted water into fertilizer, you will need a Fertilizer Synthesizer. This machine allows you to combine polluted water with two other ingredients, dirt and phosphorite, to produce fertilizer. The ratio for this process is 39 g/s of polluted water, 65 g/s of dirt, and 26 g/s of phosphorite, which will result in 120 g/s of fertilizer and 10 g/s of natural gas.

Benefits of Fertilizer

Fertilizer is a valuable resource in the game as it can be used on almost any plant to double its growth rate for one cycle. This is especially useful for plants with lengthy maturation times, helping you speed up the process and save time and resources. Additionally, making fertilizer uses less water than the base growth for plants, resulting in a water cost saving of around 30% to 40% for farming water-consuming plants.

Other Considerations

While converting polluted water into fertilizer can be beneficial, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, make sure you have a renewable source of clean water before utilising all your polluted water, as it is essential for your duplicants' survival. Additionally, the natural gas produced as a by-product of fertilizer synthesis may not be immediately useful, and you will need additional power to store it in reservoirs.

Using Polluted Water to grow plants

Polluted Water is a common substance in Oxygen Not Included, and it has its uses. It is a better coolant than pure water, and it can be used to irrigate certain plants. Here are some ways to use Polluted Water to grow plants in the game.

Pincha Pepper

Pincha Peppers can be used in high-quality food recipes. Domestic growth of this plant requires 35 kg/cycle of Polluted Water.

Thimble Reed

Thimble Reeds are used to produce clothing like Atmo Suits. Domestic growth requires 160 kg/cycle of Polluted Water.

Arbor Tree

Arbor Trees are a good source of fuel for your machines. Domestic growth requires 70 kg/cycle of Polluted Water.

Mealwood

Mealwood is another plant that can be grown using Polluted Water.

Bog Bucket

Bog Bucket domestic growth requires 40 kg/cycle of Polluted Water.

Fertilizer

If you don't need the Polluted Water for cooling or feeding plants, you can convert it into Fertilizer using a Fertilizer Synthesizer. This can then be used on almost any plant to double its growth rate for one cycle.

Boiling Polluted Water into Steam

Polluted Water is a common occurrence in the game Oxygen Not Included, and it can be a nuisance to deal with. However, it is a very helpful resource when used correctly. One way to recycle Polluted Water is by boiling it into steam.

Steam is the gas state of water and can be created by heating water to 102.35 °C or Polluted Water to 122.35 °C. Polluted Water can be boiled into steam, and then condensed to be cleaned. This two-step process is necessary because, unlike clean water, boiling Polluted Water produces a small amount of dirt (1% of the mass of the Polluted Water used). This dirt will not be less than 1 gram, so to ensure that boiling results in 100% steam, only boil 100 grams of Polluted Water or less per cell per second.

There are several ways to generate the heat required to create steam. One way is to build a steam room in the Space Biome. The top wall of the room should be made of Bunker Tile and exposed to the sky, while the sides and bottom can be made of normal tiles. Pumping hot water into this room will cause the heat from the accumulated Regolith on the ceiling to boil the water into steam. A Gas Pump made of steel can then be used to pump the steam out for use in a Steam Engine.

Another method is to build a normal cooling loop with a Thermal Aquatuner and Radiant Pipes, but no Steam Turbine. Send the loop through a large body of liquid to reheat the coolant and keep the Aquatuner running. The heat generated by the Thermal Aquatuner will create steam. Additionally, water can be dripped onto a Liquid Tepidizer to generate steam, or pumped onto hot materials at the bottom of the map, like magma, to rapidly boil it. However, the resulting steam from these methods may be extremely hot and harder to condense.

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